Jim Hines, the first athlete to run 100 meters under 10 seconds, died

Jim Hines, the first athlete to run 100 meters under 10 seconds, died


American Jim Hines, legendary sprinter for being the first man to run the 100 meters under 10 seconds, has died at the age of 76. On October 14, 1968 at the Mexico City Olympics, Hines won in 9"9 (electronic 9"95). Behind him the Jamaican Lennox Miller (10"0) and the other American Charles Greene (10"0). That record lasted 15 years and was the longest in the men's 100m before being broken by Calvin Smith in 1983 with 9.93s. Hines was born in Dumas, Arkansas on September 10, 1946 but raised in Oakland, California. Baseball was one of his early sports interests, but track coach Jim Coleman noted his running ability.

When Hines was 17 he was ranked in the top 20 in the world over 100 yards. Coached by three-time 1956 Olympic champion Bobby Morrow, Hines achieved his first podium finish at the U.S. Championships in 1965, placing second in the 200m. In 1966 he won the national 200m title and a year later he won his first national 100m title. Also on Hines' bulletin board is the Olympic gold in the 4x100 also in Citta' del Mondo. After retiring from athletics in late 1968, Hines continued playing in the NFL for the Miami Dolphins and Kansas City Chiefs.



Source link